Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal, starting with a blue hand stat panel

Chapter 110 The Mountain Makes His Debut

After the Iron Islands leaders left, full of gratitude, Arthur welcomed the second group of guests.

Sir Lynn Cobbry, the Valley Swordsman.

Lynn, with rusty hair, wore silver armor and a white robe embroidered with her clan's emblem.

Sir Lynn came here not for sophisticated political maneuvering, but for the vulgar, direct discussion of money.

Although Lynn is the heir to Heartstreet and a renowned swordsman in the valley.

But this position was far from the center of power, and even Jon Arryn only regarded him as a swordsman. Lynn's main concern was making money.

However, like his poor distant relatives in the Erin family, he still cared about his knightly reputation and had no ideas on how to make money, so he didn't have much spare cash.

"I've acquired quite a bit of iron ore and refined iron from the Iron Islands. I'll bring it to you when the time comes," Lynn said in a low voice, sitting in his chaise longue.

Most of these ores and refined iron were purchased for free or forcibly bought by people from the valley.

The Valley Knight passed it to Lynn, who then passed it to Arthur.

"No problem, I'll take as many as you have, and you won't be shortchanged," Arthur said. "I'll give you half of the golden dragon first."

Arthur did the math and counted, except for the Valyrian steel sword.

He acquired a considerable amount of equipment, refined iron, iron ore, and other supplies in the Iron Islands, as well as thirty to thirty longships, which was already a very profitable venture.

Those high-quality refined irons can be used in cooperation with Tob to consume some, or they can store some themselves.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Sir Lynn nodded very modestly, still wanting to make the golden dragon feel comfortable.

Lynn lowered his voice again, "I also found a very good shipbuilder in the Iron Islands, I'll give him to you too."

"Highly skilled?" Arthur asked.

"It must be good. I heard it while drinking," Sir Lynn explained.

"Okay." Arthur nodded.

We welcome all comers, including these artisans and raw materials.

Lynn was very satisfied, as he had made money again.

"I have another way to make money. Would you be willing to join?" Arthur asked.

"What connections?" Lynn asked, very curious.

"The tournament in Lannisport is a gathering of stars. And the merchants of Lannisport are wealthy; the stakes will definitely be high," Arthur said. "If you bet on it, you'll make a fortune."

"That's good, but the champion of this martial arts tournament is only a handful of people. I don't think it'll be easy to make money. You want me to bet on you?" Sir Lynn asked with piercing eyes. "But your odds are too low. Even if you win the championship, you won't get much money."

Arthur's outstanding performance led him to be considered a strong contender in the Lannister Port tournament.

"It's not about betting on me, it's about betting on Count Jorah Mormont to get into the semifinals!" Arthur said slowly.

"You want me to bet on a northerner?" Sir Lynn exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening. "Could it be that you bribed his opponent?"

But Lynn soon realized it was impossible.

Arthur certainly didn't have the power or financial resources to orchestrate a nationwide tournament, and besides, the knights wouldn't dare to cheat in front of King Robert.

Robert is a savvy man, not a fool.

This is simply because Arthur believes in the ability of the bear to make it into the final four.

"He's a very capable fighter, but he's the lord of the barren Bear Island. How can he possibly make it to the finals?" Sir Lynn said doubtfully.

This is also the world's view of northerners: they are good at fighting.

However, it is very difficult to get a good ranking in the martial arts tournament.

The North, the Iron Islands, and Dorne were not significantly influenced by Andal culture.

They rarely held dedicated jousting tournaments and preferred practical combat.

"Trust me, I've observed Count Jorah. He's a fierce fighter and might be the biggest dark horse in the tournament," Arthur said confidently.

This might be the only time in his life that Big Bear has truly unleashed his full potential in Lannister Harbor, but that's enough.

"real?"

"Absolutely true."

Sir Lynn took a deep breath and stroked his rusty hair. "If what you say is true, and Earl Bear performs so exceptionally well, then he's the biggest dark horse. Betting on him would be incredibly profitable."

Lynn's eyes lit up. Leaving aside traditional champions like Barristan, the Kingslayer, and Soros of Milton, he focused on Arthur, the strongest rookie.

Count Jorah of Bear Island, with a 4-6 draw, is definitely the option with the highest odds.

"That's right, so this round, it's up to you whether you accept or not," Arthur said calmly.

Sir Lynn gritted his teeth, "That's not impossible. I'll use half of my funds to bet against him."

"That's how we'll do it. I'll buy myself, and then I'll have my men buy more Count Bear," Arthur said slyly. "The tournament isn't a real battlefield; it's normal for someone to have an outburst occasionally."

"Was his performance really that amazing?" Lynn asked.

"Trust me, Earl Bear won't let you down," Arthur said confidently.

Sir Lynn nodded, also determined to follow Arthur's lead and invest in a major project.

Lynn left satisfied.

Arthur stroked the longsword on the desk.

Weapons are one kind of power, while gold is another.

"Rosso, be ready when we get to Lannister Port. You will use my name to pressure Count Jorah into the semifinals."

"Understood, sir." Rosso nodded.

Arthur thought about it and realized that the valley of Arryn was not a monolithic entity; on the contrary, the social hierarchy was quite loose.

Lynn Cobley and the Wickley family were all very enthusiastic friends of Arthur.

Littlefinger's later schemes took advantage of the Vale's current state.

The valley is home to a group of ancient but impoverished nobles, the Cobley family and the Weywood family. Earl Belmore, on the other hand, leads a corrupt life and is easily bribed.

Those feudal lords and merchants who engaged in commerce were relatively wealthy.

For example, the Grafson family, the Golden Eagle family, and the Weckley family.

It would be a shame not to take advantage of this chaotic situation.

Perhaps, we could also assign Littlefinger a double agent.

Several more days have passed.

The great flagship, adorned with the crowned stag banner, the grape banner, and the Oldtown beacon banner, parted the waves and left Pike Island and the other islands like a heavy, dark cloud.

On the hilltop of Pike, Baron watched the departing fleet and took a breath.

After Robert left, he was finally able to continue being the king of his island.

"I will never forget this hatred!" King Baron clenched his fists in anger, but there was nothing he could do.

The Iron Throne's army departed with hostages and provisions, leaving behind a wasteland and burned-out ports in the Iron Islands.

After leaving the Iron Islands, the fleet arrived at the bustling and prosperous Lannisport, a far cry from the barren and desolate Iron Islands.

"What a beautiful port." Arthur looked at the bustling and magnificent port in the western border. Although the Ironborn had burned the large fleet, they had not penetrated deep into the city to plunder, so the damage was not significant.

Lord Tywin Lannister personally led a group to welcome Robert and Eddard back from their victorious return at the port of Lannister, showing them considerable respect.

Lannister Harbor is the third largest port and city, where the Lannister family's golden fleet is moored.

The city is also famous for its gold artifacts.

In addition to the Lannister family members of Lannisport, the city also houses their various distant relatives: Lanni, Lannister, and...

Lantell and some of the lower-ranking Lannisters, most of whom had blond hair.

With flagships arriving one after another, the journey to Port Lannes begins.

"Is the tournament venue ready?" Robert asked eagerly after disembarking.

He was bored to death in the Iron Islands, and finally he was back in the lively green land.

Besides Robert, other important figures such as the Duke of Eddard, the Duke of Stannis, the Earl of Parker, and Sir Kevon also disembarked.

As heirs to the Great Lord, both Baelor Hightower and Arthur were also received by the Master of Ceremonies of the West.

Tywin was dressed in a red velvet outfit adorned with lions outlined in gold thread, making him appear extremely wealthy.

"It's all right, Your Majesty," replied Ser Stevie, Tywin's relative.

Having long understood Robert's temperament, the Lannisters naturally made perfect preparations to make Robert happy.

Duke Tywin Lannister also put a lot of effort into this tournament.

Firstly, it was to demonstrate the Lannisters' wealth, and secondly, it was to see their son, the Kingslayer, achieve good results.

Standing not far from the king, Arthur watched Tywin, the bald old man, the cold-blooded Guardian of the West.

Arthur wasn't particularly interested in Tywin; he saw the terrifying behemoth, the Mountain, some distance behind Tywin.

The Mountain, clad in gray steel armor, stood like a silent mountain.

Mo Shan was about 2.4 meters tall, with broad shoulders and arms as thick as small tree trunks.

Mo Shan weighed about 360 pounds, was muscular and incredibly strong, and had a voice like grinding stone.

It seems that Tywin Lannister summoned the Mountain as well, in preparation for the suppression of the Iron Islands rebellion.

Unfortunately, the Western Army was not the main force in suppressing the rebellion, and Tywin did not send his wild dogs to the Iron Islands, otherwise even more people would have died there.